30 Candles
by LittlePenguin93
Summary: What makes a birthday special? Is it the cake? The gifts? Perhaps it's the people you share it with. Emma Swan reflects on the birthdays of her life and just what it means to have a Happy Birthday.


**AN: I own nothing here just a deep love of these characters and an even deeper love of birthdays. Please as always read and review and know that all mistakes are my own. **

**30 candles**

_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... _

_**First birthday:**_

She has no memory of her first birthday but a picture she had from then showed a smiling chubby faced infant, clothed in a pair of white footie pajamas decorated with gold stars. A red velvet cupcake sits in front of her with a single candle on top. A pink party hat sits on top of her head tuffs of golden hair poking out from underneath. A woman with auburn hair and a blue sundress sits next to her smiling brightly at the little girl. A sign behind them proudly stating the words Happy Birthday Emma.

She assumes she had two more birthdays like that before being sent back into the system. When she finds the picture at 16 she is tempted to rip it up and throw it in the trash, instead she scribbles over the woman's face in sharpie adding a pair of red devil horns and a never again eats red velvet cake. She'd never liked the flavor anyways.

_**Sweet Sixteen:**_

The next 13 birthdays pass in an unremarkable blur if anyone even remembered it was her birthday in the first place. She'd become used this so it was with great surprise that woke up that morning to a tray sitting on top of her holding a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon and a stack of chocolate chip pancakes topped with two sparkling light blue candle in the shape of a one and six. Happy birthday! Shouts Ingrid pressing a kiss to her forehead. Emma sits stunned and mumbles out an awkward thanks that ingrid doesn't seem to hear telling her to get dressed and that they were going to the amusement park.

A week later Emma sits on park bench in Boston, Its cold out and her red leather jacket isn't doing much to keep the cold out. Her backpack sits at her feet with her baby blanket and Ingrid's adoption papers poking out the top. She remembers the deep paralyzing fear she felt when ingrid pushed her in front of that car. She squeezes her eyes shut with frustrated anger as she feels tears sting their corners. She wipes at them beneath the thick rimmed glasses on her face and thinks of how stupid it was to believe she would get a happy ending with Ingrid.

She grabs the adoption papers and crumples them into a ball throwing it a nearby trash can. Picking up her backpack and grabbing the screwdriver out of her back pocket she ties her hair into a ponytail and makes her way towards the bright yellow bug down the street. Sure its stealing but shes too cold to care.

_**Eighteenth birthday:**_

It's been a year since Neal popped up in the back of the bug she was stealing. A year of stolen booze and food. Of picking pockets to get by and breaking into motel rooms to keep warm together beneath the musty sheets. These no question about it Emma Swan is in love with Neal Cassidy. The bed is empty beside her and reaches to the night stand and puts on her glasses pulling the blankets tighter across her bare body. She spies a note on the nightstand.

_Dear Em,_

_Happy birthday baby, today we're going to make all of our wishes come true. Remember the plan meet me at train station at 3 o'clock with the watches. After that we're tallahassee bound. _

_I love you baby see you at 3_

_-Neal_

Sitting on the note is the swan keychain she admired in the convenience store. Neal turned the key chain into a necklace. Fastening it around her neck Emma feels the cold metal settle between her bare breasts and a flash of heat runs through her body as she thinks of how much she loves Neal. She rises from the bed to shower and get dressed. Today is a big day today she makes her happy ending come true.

_**Twenty Eight: **_

She walks through the door and takes off her heels. Dropping the small box on the counter as she goes. Wrapped in the hot pink dress and body still rushing with adrenalin from the chase an hour ago she runs her hand through her hair and lets out a sigh. Her fingers flow down the curve of her neck to the swan necklace.

It's been 10 years since that day and she's come farther than she thought she would, after getting sent to jail for Neal's crime and finding out she was pregnant Emma knew she had to fix things for herself. She decided to give the baby up so he could have his best chance. It was the most painful thing she'd ever done but she knew in heart that she couldn't keep couldn't even bare to hold him because she would ruin him if she did. She hoped he was happy. The adoption agency arranged a closed adoption for him. All she knew of baby boy swan was that he was 8lbs 6oz and had a loud healthy cry.

For the last three months of her sentence after giving birth Emma focus on getting her GED. By the time she was 19 she had "graduated" and left the prison system with $1000 dollars and her yellow volkswagen bug both left to her by Neal. While on one hand she had wanted nothing to do with that lying scumbag she also wasn't stupid enough to think she could make it with nothing.

She drove over 21 hours from the Suffolk county House of Corrections in Boston to Tallahassee using the money to put a down payment on an apartment. She got a job waiting tables at the dinner down the street it wasn't much but it was her first honest living and she was proud. She never stayed in one place long leaving Tallahassee for Heat of Arizona, and Arizona for the wild weird that was Portland, after portland she spent some time in Seattle where she got certified as a bail bonds person at 23. She worked her way across the country putting up bail and catching the assholes who thought they could con their way out repayment. Too bad they didn't know that you can't con a con. 

She settles at the island counter of her newest apartment in Boston it came fully furnished and was rented on a month to month lease. She'd been living here almost three months now and she had the feeling that it was getting to be time to move on again. Something about this place just didn't feel like home through home was a feeling she'd never really known in the first place. Lighting the red star candle on the plain vanilla cupcake she closed her eyes and wish the same thing she did on every stupid birthday candle for the past 28 years, a wish the truly stopped believing in a long time ago and yet she can't bring herself not to make it. With a deep breath she blows the flame out and wishes against all hope that she could have a family, that she wouldn't spend anymore birthdays alone. She opens her eyes to the still empty apartment and letting out a sigh she rises from the counter ready to grab a hot shower and call it a night when she's interrupted by a knocking at her door.

She makes her way over and opens it to reveal a small kid with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. His cheeks are tinged pink from the cold outside though he seems warm enough wrapped in a rather expensive looking navy blue peacoat and a grey and red scarf around his neck. He has a black backpack hanging off one shoulder and large book tucked under his arm. His face splits into a charming little grin when he sees her and she has the nagging feeling she'd seen that smile somewhere before. Her world comes to halt when out of his mouth comes the words _"Emma Swan? I'm your son Henry." _

_**Thirty**_

She never thought this would be her life and yet her she is. She looks around the backyard bathed in cool light of the sunset and white lights hanging across the back deck. Her father prince charming stands laughing with Ruby and Dorothy a beer in one hand the other wrapped around her Mother Snow White who holds their one year old son Oliver in her arms. Katherine sits on a wicker chair by the fire pit cuddled up against her now husband Frederick, swapping stories with with Ashley, Sean, Eric, Ariel, Aurora and Mulan watch their young son Philip playing with Ashley and Sean's daughter Alex making sure the children don't stumble too close to the fire.

She seen Henry and his friends Ava Nicholas and Grace lingering around the dessert table slipping sodas into their pockets and keeping watch for Regina as they make a mad dash to the tree house he and Emma built last summer, least regina get upset at him sneaking sugar so close to his bedtime.

She's tense for a minute feeling arms wrap around her waist from behind a chin coming to rest on her shoulder. She closes her eyes and breaths in the scent of her lovers shampoo Bergamot vanilla and something else that can only be described as Regina. She feels a tender kiss placed against her cheek as before a velvety voice asks "Are you enjoying your birthday my love?" Turning around in her her arms with a little difficulty emma presses a gentle kiss to her lips and says "I am though I must say I'm looking forward to the after party with you much more." and gives a playful nip to Regina's bottom lip.

Regina's eyes darken as she takes in the vision before her. Emma looks so different from the usual tough sheriff in her cream colored dress and gladiator sandals. Her eyes linger on the swell of her stomach where their son or daughter sits growing. At 6 months pregnant she is radiant and regina wonders once more how she could possibly be lucky enough to call this woman hers. "Well my love I promise you I will make sure it is a party you will never forget." Emma laughs and kisses her again.

They are interrupted by Neal approaching with a laugh. "Come on Em quit kissing my sister and go blow out your candles it time to make your wish." He grabs her arm and pulls her to the table where everyone has now gathered around a large lemon sheet cake that ingrid baked for her (she'd been craving lemons this whole pregnancy something henry found both hilarious and bizarre.) As she listens to the off key voice singing and feels the tiny kicks of the baby against her hand she thinks that she really doesn't need to wish for anything.

Her eyes take in the people around her singing, her overly enthusiastic parents, her laughing friend and their squirming children, Neal and Bell standing beside a rather uncomfortable looking Mr Gold. Ingrid who smiles at her proudly with a mix of love and regret in her eyes leaning a little closely against maleficent, and finally they come to rest on Regina and henry. Her happy ending. No Emma doesn't need to wish for anything. She has everything she ever wanted right here. After a particular hard kick she thinks okay maybe a pain free labor wouldn't hurt and with a deep breath she blows out the candles and basks in the cheer everyone lets out. She finally got her wish.

_Happy Birthday Dear Emma, Happy Birthday to you…_

_~Fin _


End file.
